Warp knit fabric

ABSTRACT

A WRAP KNIT FABRIC IN WHICH WALES OF WRAP STITCHES ARE CONNECTED BY DIAGONAL FLOATS OF PATTERN YARNS WHICH ALSO ANCHOR STANDING THREADS BETWEEN ADJACENT WALES, AND IN WHICH THE FLOAT PORTIONS OF EACH PATTERN YARN ALTERNATINGLY PASS OVER AND UNDER EACH STANDING STRANDS IN PAIRS, THE FLOAT PORTIONS OF EACH PAIR FOLLOWING EACH OTHER WALEWISE. THE FABRIC MAY BE KNITTED ON A RASCHEL MACHINE HAVING A SINGLE NEEDLE BED, A FALL PLATE, AND FOUR GUIDE BARS RESPECTIVELY SUPPLYING YARN FOR THE WRAP STICHES, PATTERN YARNS, AND STANDING THREADS IN A KNITTING CYCLE REQUIRING BUT ONE FORTH-AND-BACK SWING MOVEMENT OF THE GUIDE BAR.

Mfll'dl 16, 1971 P. KOPPENBURG 3,57

WARP KNIT FABRIC Filed Dec. 26, 1968 L2 L3 L, L4

INVENTOR PETER K ow A/Jw (m By )(1 (fl; {IMAM/ #Qac-M" United States Patent 01 lice- 3,570,270 WARP KNIT FABRIC Peter Koppenburg, Buchenweg 2, Obertshausen, near Offenbach am Main, Germany Filed Dec. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 787,130 Claims priority, application Germany, Jan. 3, 1968, P 16 35 877.3 Int. Cl. D04b 21/20 US. Cl. 66-193 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A warp knit fabric in which wales of warp stitches are connected by diagonal floats of pattern yarns which also anchor standing threads between adjacent wales, and in which the float portions of each pattern yarn alternatingly pass over and under each standing strands in pairs, the float portions of each pair following each other walewise. The fabric may be knitted on a Raschel machine having a single needle bed, a fall plate, and four guide bars respectively supplying yarn for the warp stitches, pattern yarns, and standing threads in a knitting cycle requiring but one forth-and-back swing movement of the guide bar.

This invention relates to warp knit fabrics and their production, and particularly to an improvement in the fabric and the method disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 719,167, filed on Apr. 5, 1968.

In the earlier application, I disclosed a method of making a warp knit fabric consisting essentially of wales of warp stitches connected by laid-in yarns and provided with one or more standing threads interposed coursewise between the wales of each pair of juxtaposed wales, a system of laid-in threads supplied from a guide bar being located at least twice in front or behind each standing thread in walewise succession, the standing threads also being provided from a separate guide bar. The fabric disclosed in the earlier application combines important ad- Vantageous features of woven and conventional warp knitted fabrics.

The method necessary for making the fabric of the earlier invention on a Raschel knitting machine requires the guide bars to perform two back-and-forth swinging movements during each knitting cycle, whereby the rate of output of the "warp knitting machine employed is relatively low. The object of the invention is the provision of a fabric of the general type disclosed in the copending application and having the same advantageous features, but capable of being produced on a Raschel knitting ma chine of the same type employed in preparing the earlier fabric at the highest output rate at which the machine is theoretically capable, that is, with only one back-andforth motion of the guide bars during the cycle of knitting one course of warp stitches.

It has now been found that the desired high output rate can be achieved without significant loss in fabric quality by replacing the laid-in yarns of the earlier invention by diagonal floats connecting repeating loop portions of each of a plurality of pattern yarns, the open loops of the loop portions engaging respective Warp stitches of two wales of the base fabric which are spaced coursewise from each other. Respective parts of each float pass under and over two standing threads interposed coursewise be tween the two spaced wales. Such a fabric can be produced Cir Patented Mar. 16, 1971 by only one back-and-forth movement of the guide bars during each knitting cycle. The fabric obtained is somewhat denser than an otherwise analogous fabric prepared according to the earlier invention.

In threading the. guide bars, the pattern yarns are threaded in a bar which is located in front of the bar carrying the yarns for the base fabrics, and the bar or bars guiding the standing threads are located between the two first-mentioned guide bars. The manner of knitting the fabric of the instant invention on a Raschel knitting machine equipped with a fall plate will otherwise be obvious from the copending application referred to hereinabove. The fabric of the invention can also be made entirely or partly by hand.

In the attached drawing,

FIG. 1 shows the pattern of guide bar movements in a conventional point diagram; and

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the fabric knitted by the guide bar movements of FIG. 1 in an otherwise known manner.

The front guide bar L of a Raschel machine is fully threaded with pattern yarns for forming the alternating loop portions and diagonal float portions of the pattern yarns as seen in FIG. 2. The rear guide bar L is similarly threaded with the yarns which form the wales of warp stitches in the basic fabric. The intermediate guide bars L L, are threaded with standing threads, one standing thread from each guide bar L L being interposed between the wales of each pair of juxtaposed wales. A fall plate is used in the manner described in the copending application for pushing the pattern yarns over the latches of the knitting needles.

Because of the illustrated movement pattern of the guide 'bars L L the two diagonal float portions which extend coursewise from the same open loop portion of each pattern yarn pass jointly under one standing thread of each pair of standing threads between coursewise adjacent wales, and over the other standing thread. Float portions of two pattern threads are interwoven with each pair of standing threads, the arrangement being such that a pair of float portions of one pattern thread passes over one of the standing threads, and the walewise subsequent pair of float portions of the other pattern thread passes under the same standing thread.

While the illustrated pattern threads connect groups of three wales and float over one wale, the length of the floating portions obviously can be modified to any desired extent.

What is claimed is:

1. In a warp knit fabric, in combination:

(a) a plurality of juxtaposed wales of warp stitches;

(b) at least one standing thread interposed between the wales of each pair of adjacentl juxtaposed wales; and

(c) a plurality of pattern yarns,

(1) each pattern yarn having repeating loop portions engaging respective warp stitches of two of said wales spaced coursewise from each other, and repeating diagonal float portions connecting respective pairs of said loop portions, and floating over one of said wales interposed between said two spaced wales,

(2) respective parts of said float portion passing under and over two of said standing threads interposed coursewise between said two spaced wales.

2. In a fabric as set forth in claim 1, the float portions of each pattern yarn being offset walewise from each other and constituting a plurality of pairs of walewise consecutive float portions, the members of each pair of said float portions being connected by a lamp portion and passing each under one of said two standing threads and over the other one of said two standing threads.

3. In a fabric as set forth in claim 2, the members of a pair of said float portions passing under said one standing thread if the members of a walewise adjacent pair pass over said one thread.

4. In a fabric as set forth in claim 3, said two standing threads being interposed between one of said two spaced wales and said one wale interposed between said two spaced wales.

5. In a fabric as set forth in claim 1, a pair of said standing threads being interposed coursewise between the wales of each pair of juxtaposed wales, each float portion UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,800,783 8/1954 Abood 66-192 3,073,140 12/1958 Schmitz et a1. 66-193 3,255,614 1/1964 Kemmnitz 66-192 OTHER REFERENCES Rotenstein, Manufacture of Raschel Wool and Cotton Outerwear, Natl. K & D Outerwear Assn., 1955, pp. 47 to 54.

RONALD FELDBAUM, Primary Examiner U .8. Cl. X.R. 66190 

